Saturday, October 18, 2014

18-Oct-14: If UK travel is in your plans... Part 1

Hassane, an aspiring
doctor [Image Source]
For anyone contemplating a visit to the UK in the near future, some food for thought in the wake of what we reported here ten days ago ["07-Oct-14: In the UK, more arrests today and it's all about Islamist terror"] about arrests made under Britain's Terrorism Act 2006 (the detailed charges are listed here):

Via AFP, October 17, 2014:
London: Four men appeared in a British court on Friday charged with an alleged terror plot to shoot to kill police officers or soldiers on the streets of London, and with allegedly pledging allegiance to the Islamic State organisation. The men, who are all from the capital and were arrested earlier this month, are accused of scoping out a police station and army barracks and obtaining a handgun and ammunition. A fifth man appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court at the same time charged with firearms offences... The men, all dressed in grey, prison-issue sweatshirts and trousers, were brought to court under heavy security as a helicopter flew overhead, and they appeared in the dock flanked by 10 police officers. Their lawyers did not apply for bail and they were all remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey central criminal court on October 27.
Majeed, MSci Physics student at Kings
College London: "The KCL community
has been shaken to its core
by the news
" of the arrest [Image Source]
Via BBC, October 17, 2014:
Five men have appeared in court charged in connection with a terror plot "to shoot, to kill, police officers or soldiers on the streets of London"... The men, who have been jointly charged with the intention of committing acts of terrorism, or assisting others to commit such acts, between 8 July and 7 October, are: Tarik Hassane, 21, of Dalgarno Way, West London; Suhaib Majeed, 20, of Church Street Estate, North West London; Nyall Hamlett, 24, of Great Western Road, West London; Momen Motasim, 21, of Hallfield Estate, West London...  A fifth man, Nathan Cuffy, 25, from London, faces firearms offences.
Prosecuting, Mark Dawson, told the court the case revolved around an alleged plot "to shoot, to kill, police officers or soldiers on the streets of London." He said 21 details within the terror charge related to different individuals, but did not give specific details about which parts of the charge related to which accused. The five men had appeared in the dock flanked by 12 police and security guards...  The charges also allege the men conducted reconnaissance of Shepherd's Bush police station and White City Territorial Army barracks... A woman, 19, has been released on police bail until next week pending further enquiries, police said. "These are some of the most serious charges of recent years, and the security reflected that," reports Daniel Sandford
And this via DailyMail UK, October 17, 2014:
A gang of British terror suspects laughed in the dock yesterday as they were charged with plotting to kill policemen and soldiers in London drive-by shootings... The young men, some of whom attended Westminster City School in London, were all born in Britain. Yesterday, when they appeared in court for the first time charged with intending to commit acts of terrorism, they were surrounded by 14 policemen and security officers, many wearing stab vests.
Hassane (according to The Telegraph, October 8, 2014) is
believed to be a medical student who was offered a place to study at one of the UK’s top universities. Tarik Hassane, 21, who is reportedly dubbed “The Surgeon”, was offered a place to study medicine at King’s College London. However, in an online discussion he wrote that he “missed out by a couple of grades” and was instead offered the chance to study biomedicine but it “didn’t fit in with his future plans”. He also said he believed that those who killed in Allah's name would be rewarded. [He] eventually chose to study in Sudan... The student lived at Princess Alice House, an estate near Ladbroke Grove, West London, with his mother, 56, a teaching assistant, and his younger sister, since 2010, according to The Sun. The family is believed to be of Moroccan origin.
None of these individuals has been convicted at this stage - naturally we are obliged to think of them as innocents, and to ignore their laughter in the accused's dock of the court. 

No comments: